Spec Ops: Remnant of the 33rd (Redux)
by Obsidianjake
Summary: Welcome to Remnant Walker, try to survive. CoCo X Walker


Created mostly for fun in about two to three days , trying to break out of a writer's block with some random weirdness you have been warned, of what is contained in this story by the summary. May complete it but I just wanted to post it because I worked hard on it. The next GATE chapter will be coming soon as soon as I get out of this funk.

Captain Martin Walker slowly walked through the the streets of Dubai his uniform in tatters, the ceramic under his vest exposed and dented from multiple bullets, his body was covered in gashes some of which he had patched up but others he just left as he walked around the city aimlessly. His M4 rifle was strapped to his chest hanging onto his body with a Barrett .50 caliber rifle strapped to his back along with an M1014 shotgun. In his hand Walker gripped the .44 Magnum that he had received from agent Riggs after he shot him.

The cold grip burning against his hot hand as he continued to walk along. He didn't know what he was looking for at the moment, clarity maybe or a slow death via dehydration, Walker had no clue all he did was continue to press forward hoping to find something, anything that was left. Behind him twenty men, the last of the damned 33rd walked silently, looking upon captain Walker with brief glances as he led them to god knows where, Walker needed a mission now he needed direction, he needed to get out of Dubai. The city of his nightmares that seemed to surround him and the men in inky darkness and torment, their own private slice of hell. Walker stopped as he heard a small sound, barely a whisper and then what sounded like a stone falling somewhere and then what sounded like a child's cry.

Holding his hand up to hold Walker slowly began moving to the source of the sound, his boots crunching against the sand and rubble he passed over as he made his way towards the source, the sound slowly getting louder as he set down his sidearm. He came across a pile of rubble from a collapsed building, the sound was louder now as the men watched him with trained eyes, watching as he slowly began to lift each piece of rubble carefully as to not disturb the rest. The sound was clear as day now and Walker knew the men could here is as they flinched slightly. "Come on there is someone down there and we need to get them out, help me dig." Walker ordered in a calm voice as the last of the damned 33rd began walking towards him.

Setting down their guns as they began digging through the rubble trying to find the source of the sound as they moved rock after rock out of their way, he heard two men grunt as they worked together to move a particularly heavy rock before the pile seemed to collapse in on itself, revealing a tunnel made of concrete that led towards the building in front of them.

Motioning for the rest of the men to hold again as he turned on the flashlight strapped to his chest, the light illuminating the tunnel as he began to crawl forwards on his hands and knees slowly as he did not want to lose balance and slide down into whatever lay down there, the crying could be heard clearly now as he made his way into what he assumed was the basement of the building that had collapsed up top, rocks and sand rolling down the tunnel as he made his way towards the end of the tunnel, the mouth was just barely large enough to fit through as he slid out, grabbing his M4 as he looked around, what he found inside left him speechless to say the least as his blue eyes widened and his mind reeled at what he saw.

Civilians, rows upon rows of civilians along with 33rd members some injured, their faces burnt in places and there bodies scarred from the weeks of battle they had endured against Walker, others looked scared as they spotted the man they saw butcher their brothers just appear, they had made a makeshift bunker out of what looked to be a parking garage, it was a safe heaven to all who wanted to avoid fighting or couldn't fight. Those who could began to raise their weapons as they saw him, preparing to fire as Walker raised his hands in the universal sign for surrender.

But one of the men didn't take his surrender, walking up to him the man of the 33rd he didn't want to fight these men anymore and he knew they were just as tired as he was as he began to slowly put his weapons down, kicking them towards the last of the damned 33rd as he looked into the eyes of a lieutenant that came up to take his weapons away, the man looked at him with dead eyes, his eyes sunken in from the lack of sleep and intense fighting as he picked up captain Walker's weapons, before tossing them out of reach. "Are we the last sir?" The lieutenant asked as Walker shook his head.

"No son, there are more of you just up top and I know they would very much like to see this." Walker said as he put his fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, the men in the makeshift bunker kept their weapons trained on him as he did, they were right to be cautious after everything Walker had done, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was anger the men, or fight them and reuniting the brothers of the 33rd seemed like a good place to start gaining back some trust with them, not that he had much to begin with.

He heard the men up top began making their way down the tunnel, the rest of the rocks and sand falling down from the mouth of the tunnel as they joined him, dusting of their tattered uniforms as they looked around, the weight of what they saw hitting them like a ton of bricks as they realized they were no longer the last of their unit, Walker watched as a few of them collapsed crying. Others walked towards people they recognized tears in their eyes as they rejoined their brothers they thought had fallen, Walker stood in place for a moment before moving towards the lieutenant as he let out a sigh. "How many survived?" He asked grimly as he surveyed the bunker, the lieutenant looking at him as the rest of the men caught up with one another.

"A couple hundred or so, why do you plan on killing the last of the 33rd off sir." The lieutenant spat as he looked at Walker with disgust in his eyes as he stared down the captain.

"No son, no, I'm done fighting you and I plan on taking a long vacation in hell after this, it is the least I deserve." Walker muttered as he continued to watch the men, his fists clenched as the world around him seemed to go grey, the images of what he had done in Dubai flashing before him as the people around him seemed to pause in mid action.

"Are you so sure you're done fighting Walker? after so long fighting my men, killing them mercilessly for no reason you are just going to give up like that, ha pathetic." A voice spat from behind Walker as he looked around, before he spotted the man of his nightmares, the man he had trusted for most of his military career and the man he came to Dubai to try to rescue, only to find out he was dead and now just a figment of his imagination. "Then what are you going to do with these men, are you going to take the easy way out like I did, leaving them to starve or die of dehydration, what will you do Walker?" Konrad spat as he walked towards Walker, the lights seemingly flickering as he did.

"No." Walker said simply as he looked Konrad in the eye.

"No, haha! then what shall you do captain?" Konrad asked in a mocking tone, letting out a cackle as Walker flinched and looked down at the ground his chest beating as he clenched his fists so hard that the palms of his hands bled slightly.

Walker thought for a second as he looked down at his hands, they were covered with sand, dirt and blood from the last few days of fighting, his injuries had begun to scab over in places as he clenched his hands into fists. "I am going to finish what you started." He muttered as he began making his way to the center of the gathered men, walking with a purpose as he heard Konrads mocking voice in the background. "Oh sure you will, youre no hero Walker, you will only lead these men to a closer death."

" _Not if I can help it."_ Thought Walker was he put his fingers into his mouth again and let out another shrill whistle, causing the last of the damned 33rd to settle down and look at their would be killer. Walker began to speak, his voice radiating authority as he began to channel all that he had learned from Konrad when he was still alive. "Alright 33rd listen up, I want a head count and an inventory of our supplies asap, I also want volunteers for a recon team to look for anymore survivors, round em' up and bring them home." The men looked at him dumbfounded as he spoke, a few of them crossed their arms disapprovingly as the man who had killed so many of them was trying to give them orders, though the men that had followed him to the bunker just looked at him with a tired expression before giving a half hearted salute.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing captain, after everything you've done you think you can just command us?" The lieutenant said as he stood in front of the men. "We should kill you where you stand for what you've done." He spat the spit striking the ground near Walker as the man struck Walker in the side of the face with his left fist, causing a cheer to go up from the crowd of desperate survivors that had gathered around.

"What's your name son?" Walker asked as he looked at the man, he saw the fear and anger in his eyes as he spoke while Walker recovered from the punch, his face bleeding slightly from the punch as he rubbed the left side of his face.

"Lieutenant Frank Sullivan of the damned 33rd." The man said with pride as he crossed his arms, the man was obviously a 33rd veterans judging by the amount of pride he had in the unit and the way he carried himself among the newer members as he looked down at Walker with a disgusted look on his face.

"Well Lieutenant, as the ranking officer here it is my duty to lead the 33rd and any civilians out safely, from there we will radio from outside the storm wall and call for backup." Walker said as he looked around, afraid his plan to rally the 33rd was going to go up in flames before it could even be put into motion he spoke again. "We will finish what Konrad started, we will uphold our duty and put aside what we have done to each other for now so we can get out of this hell hole and back home, from there you may throw me to the wolves I won't resist or implicate you in any way and I will most likely be executed for my crimes, but until then I will be the one pulling your asses out of the fire and back into the arms of your family's." Walker yelled the last part as he panted feeling out of breath before continuing. "And who will tell the families of the ones who died, would you rather they find out from some letter that was written from a template, or a soldier of the 33rd who fought alongside the men and woman who lost their lives and who can tell them of their honor and valor." Walker finally finished as he caught his breath, the sand that permeated the air of Dubai even down in the bunker scratching at the inside of his throat as he looked at the men in front of him, it was silent for but a minute before the lieutenant spoke.

"Alright Walker you want to feel like a hero, we will carry out these orders we are dead either way anyways, but if you think your out of the fire then you have another thing coming to you and I swear to god you will pay for what you did."

"I'll pay for it the rest of my life and after my death lieutenant Sullivan, now let's rally the men we have work to do."

 **A day later…..**

Walker looked down the list the 33rd had drawn up of their supplies and men, it was abysmal to say the least the water would begin to run out in three months if they rationed it correctly but they only had enough food for two, they had seven working humvees and one stryker as well as two blackhawks and around a dozen "little birds" left. The 33rds numbers ranged in the low hundreds far from the numbers Konrad once commanded but more men were being found everyday trapped in buildings or hiding from Walker and they needed to be talked down by their brothers from the 33rd before they even believed Walker was helping them evacuate. Still they couldn't run recon patrols like this forever they needed to move and soon if they wanted to make it through the storm wall with everyone intact. Walker stood up from his chair, looking around at his makeshift quarters as he sighed, he would give the recon teams another 4 hours or so to comb the last parts of the city but soon it would be time to pack up and get out of hell and get to friendly soil where they could get help for the sick and injured survivors.

Music echoed through the underground parking lot that was their makeshift bunker as wind howled above around, Walker spotted one recon squad that was returning from their last round, sand coating and sticking to their clothing and skin as they pulled off their face masks, gas masks and goggles, even after all this time Dubai was still blasted by the high winds of sandstorms from beyond the storm wall, covering the city in another layer of sand as the earth tried to bury it and erase it from existence. "We need to get out soon." Muttered Walker as he passed by a few civilians huddling together as sand poured in from the small cracks that began to form on the ceiling of the parking garage, raining down onto the people inside as they tried to ride out a major sandstorm that was passing through.

Spotting Lieutenant Sullivan, Walker slowly walked over to him his M4 strapped to his back as he nodded at the man. "How are we doing Sullivan?" Walker asked as he stood beside him his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the men begin to prepare the remaining vehicles they had for the long journey ahead of them, they were putting cloth over the intake manifolds of the vehicles to keep the sand from the storm out of the engine, others were loading the supplies onto the trucks they had managed to scavenge from the ruins of the once great city of Dubai. "Good Walker, we should be ready to head out by tomorrow at 0700 hours if we work as fast as possible, but… I have a concern." The man said as the two of them watched the men work. "What is it Sullivan?" Walker asked as he heard the wind pick up above them, small particles of sand could be seen floating throughout the air as they leaked in from the cracks above them.

"The civilians goddamnit Walker, they won't survive this trip!" Sullivan nearly yelled the last bit as he shoved Walker roughly, as if he was trying to shake some sense into the older soldier as he grimaced. Walker sighed as he shook his head, he knew Sullivan was right about one thing, many of the civvies would get lost in the storm without careful planning and coordination from the 33rd and even if they had the time for perfect planning which they did not, they would most likely still lose people to the sand storms winds and dust. It was a tough choice, but it was one Walker had to make if he wanted to save what was left of the damned 33rd left trapped here by him. But still it left a bad feeling in his gut as he looked at Sullivan, nodding at the man as he accepted the point made by the lieutenant.

"I know we will lose people lieutenant and I will carry their deaths to my soon to be grave when we get back stateside, but it's either possibly die tomorrow or die a month from now from dehydration when we run out of food and water or we are buried alive when the storm decides to move in for good." Walker sighed as he heard the last of their dwindling supplies being loaded onto a truck, before the marines closed down the hatches and signaled that they had finished.

Walker walked off as Sullivan refused to reply to the man who was leading them to their deaths after they barely avoided his psychotic rampage through crumbling city just days earlier, Walker didn't blame the younger man for being sceptical, infact he welcomed the critic, the plan was not a foolproof one in fact it was full of holes and obstacles they could not consider with the little time they had to plan it out. But it was the best plan he could come up with for now and if he could manage to at least rescue some of the men he had wronged so many times, then he would die satisfied that he had least done the right thing for once in his life, at least he hoped what he was doing was the right thing this time.

 **The next day..**

Walker fiddled with a child's seat belt, the young child barely older than four years was squirming a bit as the captain finished strapping him into the civilian trucks, the vehicle had been heavily modified to hopefully survive the winds and sands of the sandstorm, cloth adorned the radiator grill to help keep out the sand from the storm as a 33rd member started up the engine of the vehicle. An AH-6 "Little bird" helicopter passing overhead as their small convoy started up their engines, the roar of the V8 turbo diesel engines echoed throughout the ruins of Dubai, several more of their few helicopters passed overhead as the men and woman of the 33rd readied up for their greatest challenge since Walker first arrived in the crumbling city, there was a sense of hope amongst all of them even Walker as he watched everyone get ready for the long journey through the storm wall.

"Maybe we will get through this." Walker said to himself as he watched a 33rd member help a child into his mother's lap in a civilian car.

The recon teams had found a few more survivors in the rubble Walker and his team had left behind on their foolish and deadly mission, some had managed to find cover when the delta force operatives tore through the city. others had not been so lucky with their injuries and the 33rd could only give them peace amongst their remaining brothers in arms before they passed on into darkness. Walker sighed softly as he thought about it, hefting his M4 service rifle in his hands as he scanned along the convoy. It was his fault that those men would not be able to see their families one last time, he had tricked himself into believing that the 33rd was in the wrong in Dubai and he had ripped through the city to try to help the people who survived but instead all he had caused was more pain, suffering and death just so he could try to be the hero. But he wasn't the hero here, no he was just a man trying to calm his conscience.

The soldiers of the 33rd were the true hero's here, sacrificing life and limb to protect people they didn't even know and following the orders of their commander even to the death. **"Konrad."** Thought Walker. The man deserved a hero's welcome back home, not a death by his own hand in a city in chaos, Walker couldn't help but shake his head again as he saw a flash of Konrad in front of him, those visions still plagued him even after he accepted what he had done here, it wasn't as bad as before but he saw flashes and heard whispers in the back of his head every once in awhile which he quickly pushed to the back of his mind. He needed to be focused, now more than ever if he wanted to help guide these men back home as one last chance at some redemption for himself and the men that came with him as well as delta force in general.

Quickly giving the convoy another once over, he couldn't help but let out another sigh. they had found another blackhawk helicopter which had been hastily modified to survive the storm, or so they hoped. As well as another stryker LAV, one M1A2 abrams tank and four humvees which were also hastily modified to pass through the storm wall the rest were civilian vehicles that were packed with the remaining civilian survivors of Dubai. They were a motley bunch of soldiers, understaffed and under equipped for a job such as this but it was better than nothing and they would have to begin moving quickly if they wanted to make it out of the storm wall. Walker walked to the front of the convoy opening the door of the lead humvee, the heavy metal door slamming behind him as he took a seat on the less than comfortable passenger seat. Beside him sat a private in the driver seat, one of the men who followed him out of the tower with what he thought was the last of the 33rd at the time. The man looked at him for a second before turning away, he seemed to grimace slightly as he started the engine the diesel V8 let out a roar as the rest of the convoy began starting up their engines. The roar of engines echoing throughout the streets as the helicopters hovered above them, picking up the radio in the center console, Walker pushed the button on the handset.

"Metal 0-1 to convoy, report in." Walker said over the comm as he leaned back in the chair, staring directly forward as the gunner up top cocked the machine guns bolt back, letting out a resounding click as the 33rd began to mount up. The sounds of doors slamming echoing over the sound of diesel engines starting up, crackling came over the radio as the rest of the vehicles began to report in. "This is Metal 0-2 on standby." The radio crackled as a young man came over the comm channel while the rest of the convoy began tuning into the channel they had selected for their mission.

"This is Metal 0-3 on standby."

"Metal 0-4 to 0-8 on standby." Another reported in.

It continued like that for a while until the last vehicle reported in, Walker pressed the button on the radio again relaying his message to the entire convoy. "Alright let's move out." He said as his jeep began to move, followed closely behind by the humvee behind them as the gunner up top began scanning left to right those who could not fit in the vehicles either sat on the tanks or walked along side as they made their way out of the hell hole they had called home for the past several months. They didn't expect to run into any contacts on their way to the storm wall but the men were acting on battle hardened instincts that had been trained and honed for many years, so Walker couldn't blame them for wanting to keep their corners checked for hostiles.

Even he was doing it himself, keeping one eye peeled for any danger that might try to hinder their progress towards the storm wall as the helicopters flew overhead, their rotors kicking up a substantial amount of dust when they came in low as they traveled through the rubble littered streets of the once great city of Dubai. The route the recon team had mapped out for them to take was a long one, but it was the route with the least obstructions in the way. **"The less time spent clearing the roads out the better."**

Thought Walker as he looked out the bulletproof window separating him from the sandy outside world, he recognized some of the places they were passing through as they drove through the sand covered streets and over a few sandy dunes, bodies littered the streets as birds feasted on the meat on the corpses. Walker shuddered as he was reminded once again about what he had done to the men he was now helping. The humvee turned a corner as the rest of their meager convoy followed closely behind them, the sand crunching under the wheels as they made their way to the edge of the city, the buildings getting smaller and smaller as they made their way out.

"Approaching the storm wall ETA 90 seconds." A voice came crackling over the comm as a helicopter pilot above them radioed in as the approached the wall of sand that for long had prevented them from rejoining civilization. Now they would barrel through the wall of sand and make it back to their loved ones or die trying. Walker picked up the handset for the last time until they hit the storm wall, once they were inside they would need to keep close and communicate via hand signals and runners "We are about to hit the storm wall, everyone stay close and keep together I don't want to lose anyone." he said before setting down the radio as the humvee hit the storm wall.

The engine let out a strained groan as it hit the winds and heavy sand blasts of the storm wall, the heavy vehicle plowing through the winds as the convoy followed close behind them, many of them men outside covering their faces and heads with goggles and face wraps to keep the sand out as they walked into a fresh hell. "So far so good." Muttered Walker as he looked out the window in front of him, visibility was very poor as they drove into the storm the sand blasting against the bullet proof glass as the driver turned on the windshield wipers in a vain attempt to see a bit better, the gunner uptop came back down and closed the hatch behind him as they continued to drive on. "You think we will make it farther the Konrad this time captain Walker?" The private driving asked as he kept his eyes on the sand in front of the vehicle.

Walker looked over at the younger man as he drove. "What's your name son?" He asked as he looked back out the front window, watching the sand slowly flow off the hood of the humvee as they drove along in silence for a few minutes. "Names Alex, Alex Mason." The private finally said as he looked over at Walker for a split second before looking back at the sandy road in front of him.

"Well private Mason, I wouldn't worry about us too much, we have the easy job of driving back home." Walker said with a chuckle as he pointed up. "It's the flyboys up there that are probably having a hell of a time keeping themselves level." Alex laughed at that as he nodded. "Yeah I guess they are, I thankfully would rather keep my feet firmly on the ground for this one."

Walker shook his head. "I told them they could keep their feet on the ground for this one, but once the pilots realized they would be leaving the birds they'd been in since this fiasco started none of them wanted to leave their birds behind."

Alex nodded as the humvee groaned, making its way over a large dune as a stryker followed close behind them, Walker looked into the side mirror of the armored vehicle making sure that the rest of their convoy was following close as they made their way over the large dune. "I'm surprised we managed to make it this far without losing a sole." Walker said as he turned back to the other three men in the back seat. "One of you get up top and signal for a headcount, hopefully the helicopter pilots will be doing the same." Walker ordered before sitting back down, he heard the grumbling of one soldier as he put some goggles and a mask on before opening the MG hatch, his boot 'accidentally' hitting the back of Walkers head as he began relaying the captain's message back. Walker shook his head before laying head head back against the leather headrest behind him, closing his eyes as he decided to take a five minute rest. "Just until we have to do the check in again." He felt his eyelids grow heavy

" **You know this is not going to work…..don't you?"** Walker heard a familiar voice say in the back of his head as he began to sleep as the humvee continued to drive through the sandstorm without issue.

"We have to try…..at the very least give these last men some hope for the future of their lives." Walker replied as he looked around, all around him were the sand blasted ruins of Dubai, all around him and seemed to be flowing through the air like blood through veins as Walker saw a shadow walk towards him, the sand crunching beneath Konrads combat boots as he continued to speak to Walker in his mocking tone as if he were scolding the captain.

" **You are irredeemable Walker, you and I both know this so why do you resist?"** The voice of the long dead Konrad echoed through his head as Walker fixed his gaze on the shadow, reaching down for his .44 magnum, feeling the cold metal grip in his palm as he watched the shadow grow closer and closer. **"You're a dead man walking Walker, your soul is contaminated by the men and woman you slaughtered getting here and do you really think by saving this handful of survivors from dying will redeem you."**

"No I don't." Spat Walker as he kept his grip on his gun. "I just want to help them, after all I have done to them it is the least I can do."

" **HA, you can't save anyone Walker, you can't even save yourself from your own dreams."** The voice of Konrad spat as the shadow came closer and closer to Walker as he raised his weapon.

"I have to try though, it's the last thing I need to do before I pass on to wherever I am going whether by my own hand or the hand of the US military I will see this mission through." Walker stated with a hint of confidence in his voice as he spoke to the shadow of Konrad that had been plaguing him for so long.

" **Is that bravado I hear Captain Walker, you and I both know you are no savior, all you are doing is leading these men to quicker deaths."** Konrad replied with a laugh as Walker flinched. **"You are a monster through and through Walker, every one of those men can see that and you know it, whatever peace you have made with them for now will not last once you get past the storm wall, they will tear you apart for what you've done to them."**

Walker nodded agreeing with the Colonel as he looked down. "I know, but I want to leave this world knowing I did some good for once, I don't want to be the cause of more pain when the families of these survivors find out they are dead." Walker said with a choked voice as a single tear traveled down the burnt side of his face, causing the wound to sting as the salty liquid traveled over it.

" **Tears will due you no good hear soldier, now man up and stop pussy footing around you got a job to do."** Konrad suddenly screamed like a drill sergeant attempting to get a raw recruit to man up, it caused Walker to jump as the Colonel yelled at him, his training kicking in as he wiped the tear off of his face wincing a bit as his hand passed over his burn wound.

"W-what the hell are you talking about." Walker stuttered as he backed up a bit, pulling his sidearm out of the holster backing up more as he held the .44 magnum at his side, pulling the hammer back on the weapon as he prepared to fire should he be attacked by the apparition though he doubted he could hurt Konrad at all, but he would try if the man got in the way of his mission.

" **You will see Walker, you will see I just hope you don't fuck this up like you did the last time."** The shadow of Konrad muttered as he looked passed Walker before looking back at the US soldier with a laugh. **"Now get out of here Walker and make sure you take care of my men."** With that Konrad disappeared from Walkers sight leaving the delta force operative alone as the world began to go black around him.

It felt like the air was being drawn out of Walkers lungs by a vacuum as the world went black. Causing the soldier to looking around for something, anything that would give him a sense of spatial awareness but when he found nothing that just forced his stress to sky rocket as he kept on looking around, turing a bit frantic before his delta force training kicked in and forced him to calm down.

Then he felt the pain, it coursed through him like a tapeworm as he doubled over clutching his stomach with both of his hands as he felt the pain travel through the very fibers of his muscles as he let out a hoarse scream. His body felt as if it were immersed in a bath of white phosphorus as he struggled to regain control of himself, his hands shivering as he looked around still seeing nothing but black as he felt another stab of pain travel through his spine, forcing him to double over once again.

Walker felt his conscious mind begin to slip away from him as the pain continued to echo through his mind and body, along with a small voice, just barely a whisper against his loud screams of pain that spoke in his ear. "They will know for what you are monster, slayer of the good men of the 33rd you will be alone for a time in this next world, but if you persist you may find allies both new and old to help you along the path to redemption." The voice said in a low threatening tone, as if it were telling Walker a cold hard fact.

Then Walker felt his mind slip and his body shut down as the voice finished, a blinding white light sparking in front of Walker as his body went limp.

 **Unknown Time And Place**

Captain Martin Walker felt cold water against his skin as he woke from his dream, he heard the sounds of birds chirping as he felt the cold grass beneath his prone body, his head was pounding as he opened his eyes, his blue irises looking around searching for a familiar sight. But instead Walker saw nothing but tree's with green leaves and birds nesting in the branches of said tree's as Walker held his M4 carbine firmly in his hands.

"Where the hell am I." He muttered as he looked around the forest, he didn't know of any forest's like this in Dubai or around it, he had studied the maps before going to the city and none of them said anything about a forest like this. "The fuck is going on around here? Did Konrad have something to do with this?" Walker asked no one in particular as he looked down at his body.

Another surprised waited for Walker as he looked down, he was wearing his old tattered uniform he had been wearing when he first entered Dubai, the cloth of the BDU ripped and torn in several places that exposed the dented flak jacket underneath. Blood was soaked into the fabric of the uniform, whether it was his or from the many soldiers he had killed Walker was not certain. **"They will know you for what you are monster."** Walker heard a voice echo through his skull once again, causing him to shake and rub his head to clear his thoughts.

That's when he heard the growls, taking his surroundings into account as he began to look around for the source of the loud growling sounds. His breath hitching in his lungs as he spotted the source Walker could not help but flinch slightly as he spotted a pair of glowing red eyes staring right back at his dark blue ones. His hand reaching down to grip his M4 carbine in his hand, holding it tightly as he felt a bead of sweat run down his face. Stinging his wounds slightly as the creature with the glowing red eyes came out from its hiding place in the bushes.

Walker couldn't help but quickly blink once or twice as he saw the creature in better detail as it came out into the light, it looked like some form of horrifying helldog straight out of his own nightmares. Sharp teeth jutting at what appeared to be very awkward directions from what Walker saw, but somehow the creature managed not to cut itself with its own teeth as it closed its mouth and continued to approach Walker. It let out several snarls as Walker took aim with his weapon, cursing under his breath, almost on the verge of thanking god that he left his silencer on his rifle as he took a couple shots at the beast. The weapon letting out a extremely muffled gunshot, the 5.56 millimeter NATO rounds streaking towards their targets at almost supersonic speeds.

The creature let out a howl and a cry as the bullets hit it in the upper part of its leg and lower area of its chest. But the creature did not fall as Walker expected, instead it seemed to only get more pissed off as it began to charge towards the american delta force operative in a fit of rage and bloodlust for Walker.

Grunting as he combat rolls out of the way as the dog like creature attempts to lunge at him, Walker feels his boots slide slightly as he comes back up to a kneeling position. Unleashing another hail of M4 bullets as he feels rivulets of fresh blood stream down onto his ruined BDU caused by a wound he sustained from the ground. He kept firing until his magazine ran dry and thankfully that was when the beast decided to cave into the blood loss. Collapsing on the ground in a heap of blood and ruined flesh as it took its last breath before finally dying. "Kill is fucking confirmed." Walker muttered, spitting out blood from his mouth as sweat ran down his scarred face.

"The hell was that thing." Walker muttered as he allowed his M4 hang by its sling as he took out his powerful barrett .50 caliber rifle.

Slowly walking through the thick brush with his rifle at the ready Walker couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being watched as he made his way through the thick brush.

Putting his comms earpiece in his ear Walker began to flip through the standard channels used by the US military, panting slightly as he spoke into the comm. "This is captain Martin Walker to any member of the damned 33rd does anyone copy over?" All that came over the short range communication device was a bunch of static which hissed into Walker's ear as he limped aimlessly through the forest. His wounds leaking a substantial amount of blood as the delta operative looked down to check on the many bandages that littered his body after weeks of fighting within dubia.

That's when Walker heard a strange sound, one that you would not expect to hear in the middle of a forest in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It was the sound of a jet engine hovering overhead, followed by several shouts that were muffled by the low flying aircrafts engines as several gunshots echoed throughout the forest, followed by the low groans of what Walker guessed where wildlife as he watched the vtol aircraft begin to fly off in a westerly direction. The delta captain quickly followed the slow moving aircraft, assuming blindly that where ever it was head must be a place with some form of civilization. Breaking out into a light jog, or as much as he could manage with his current injuries to his body. Moving as fast as his body was able to Walker attempted to keep some pace with the slow moving aircraft, or at the very least get a better gauge as to where it was currently going.

The another sound reached Walker's battered eardrums as he quickly moved through the thick brush of this strange forest, his sniper rifle clutched firmly within his hands as he broke through one rather thick patch of brush. The sound was something Walker had not heard in a rather long time, it was that of people.

Living, breathing, working people.

He only hoped that they had a connection to the outside world, Walker needed to contact the nearest US embassy and report the survivors of the damned 33rd to the nearest military base. It was his last wish, his last mission and the one that could cost him the most if he were to fail now.

Breaking through another thick tangle of bushes, vines and other undergrowth that made their home under the massive tree's in the forest. That was when Walker ran into another sign of civilization that gave him a massive amount of hope and fueled his desire to find whoever lay beyond this barrier.

Barbed wire lay ontop of the fence so climbing it was out of the question for the injured soldier, he wasn't sure his broken and battered body would even survive the fall to the bottom either. Reaching into one of his intact pockets, Walker managed to find his wire cutters that had thankfully survived the trip through Dubai despite his uniform and body armor nearly being ripped to shreds several times.

The thin wire was easy to cut through with the military grade cutters that were made to cut through wire much thicker than a chain link fence. Though Walker had to ask himself why there was only a simple chain link fence preventing the seemingly extremely dangerous local wildlife from invading wherever he found himself at the moment as he stepped through the hole he made.

The sounds of civilization continued to get louder as Walker broke through the tree line of the forest, his steps becoming more and more heavy as the soldier wheezed slightly from exerting himself for the past two weeks of combat in dubai. The only time he had ever taken a break was in the humvee when they were moving back towards the storm wall and even then he had a thousand thoughts racing through his mind at once.

But now as Walker noticed the sun had begun to set, he could not help but yawn slightly as the thought of finally being able to rest of an extended period of time entered his mind, to just be able to kick back on a soft bed with some warm food in his belly. It made him feel all giddy inside for the first time in many days, it was the one thing he wanted before he was punished for his deeds at least one moment of peace.

The open field Walker was traveling through was dotted with a few tree's, but not enough to completely blot out the setting sun as Walker made his way to the far end of the field. Diving back into the thick brush as he continued to blindly follow the sounds of civilization as they got louder and louder.

That's when Walker came across something he never expected to see in the middle of such a thick forest. A massive stone wall that appeared to be as tall as many of the skyscrapers that resided in the once great city of dubai. 'You gotta be fucking kidding me.' thought Walker as he took out his combat knife when he could not find a suitable entrance on the ground anywhere near him.

Thankfully the wall appeared to be more than a few years old, judging by the cracks and holes that dotted the exterior. Stabbing his knife into one of the many cracks as Walker began to pull himself up the wall. Pushing his feet into some of the larger holes as the climbed the wall like his life depended on it.

It took all of Walkers remaining strength to pull himself up this massive wall, beads of sweat rolling down as he came up over the ledge his breath becoming a low whirring sound as he rolled over as he came to rest on top of the wall. Laying on his back as he looked up at the night sky, the stars looked very beautiful he had to admit. The brilliant twinkle of the billions of dots, each of them representing their own solar system.

That was when Walker noticed something in the sky that deeply disturbed the delta operative to his very core, the moon looked as if it had been shattered by a hammer with a massive chunk having been taken out of it. "What the hell is going on?" Walker muttered as he got up from his resting position.

Taking out his rappel rope Walker attached it to what appeared to be a large metal light post as he began to make his descent down the wall. Leaning backwards to force his weight against the wall as he made his way down, gripping the rope tightly as his boots dug into the stone.

Walker let out a breath as his boots sunk into the dirt below him as he cut the rope with his combat knife, the delta operative was in full combat mode now with his weapon drawn as he began to move through the buildings of the city that lay beyond the massive wall. His .44 magnum felt cold in his scarred hand as he moved through the city, he spotted a few strange looking civilians here and there. Most gasped at the soldiers scarred face and body when they saw him pass by and when they saw the weapon gripped in his hand they froze with fear as Walker continued to move when he heard the sound of breaking glass and fighting in the next street.

Gripping his weapon tightly the soldier ducked into an alleyway that appeared to lead towards the sounds, gunfire and screams ringing out clear as day as Walker began to sprint towards his destination wherever that may be.

What he saw when he got to the source was strange, no strange was under selling it. What Walker saw was god damn ludicrous it was almost laughable.

A girl, a little girl.

Holding what appeared to be a massive scythe with a red hood flowing behind her in wind and rose petals fluttering around her small form. Walker almost laughed at the sight, it was like an image from some of those old comics he read as a kid, the girl infront of him fit the bill almost perfectly.

But what Walker saw next forced his expression to harden. A group of goons coming out of what appeared to be a store front holding an assortment of weapons ranging from machetes to firearms.

All of them pointed at the little girl.

This caused Walker's blood to boil as the injured soldiers instincts moved to protect the younger girl. Exchanging his sidearm for his M1014 shotgun, cocking the bolt back on the semi auto shotgun to make sure it was loaded before making his way into the street slowly as not to be noticed right away as he stuck to the shadows.

Walker noticed the girl had taken a sort of combat stance as she waited for the group of men to strike. Walker took up his own position near the group of suit wearing gangsters as they surrounded the young woman a few of them hurling insults at her as they prepared to strike.

But before they could attempt such a thing Walker bolted from his cover and ran out into the streets. His lungs burning and his body aching from his wounds as he fired his shotgun, the blast of buckshot hitting one of the men square in the belly and forcing him to fall over dead as the pellets shred his insides.

The surprise and confusion from Walker's introduction into the fight gave the girl the opening she had been waiting for as she swung her massive weapon, twirling it around her body as she struck one of the men with the blade, sending him flying backwards against a brick wall before slamming the blade into the ground and using it to jump up and kick another man square in the chest.

Walker didn't let his awe distract him for long as he delivered another round of buckshot into one rather large man holding a red machete, the pellets struck the gangster in the side and while it did not kill him it allowed Walker the chance to get up close. Delivering a punch square to the other man's jaw the soldier quickly finished him off with another shell from his weapon.

One of the gang members attempted to rush Walker from behind, but the soldier's instincts though muted from the many injuries that plagued his body at the moment where still sharper than most.

Reacting to the sound of the man's heavy footsteps as he ran up behind Walker the soldier quickly turned to meet him head on, using his longer reach to his advantage Walker quickly grabbed the man's arm and twisted it till it popped out of its socket with a painful scream coming from the man as Walker watched him fall to the ground before using the butt of his shotgun to knock him out cold.

The girl looked over at Walker as he finished scanning the area for more hostiles, before being satisfied that there were none as he began to walk towards the young woman.

Then he heard a laugh coming from the shop as a man with orange hair that looked like it had been dipped in a bucket of lead based paint it was so bright. The man clapped as he took what looked to be a cigar out of his mouth, blowing the smoke out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Well, well red it looks like I've overstayed my welcome with you and your broken friend there. So as much as I would love to stay and chat." He said as he raised what looked to be a cane with a clear bottom up, pointing it at the space between Walker and the girl.

"I'm afraid that this is where we part." He said with a grin as Walker realized what he was about to do.

The world seemed to slow down for him as the soldier quickly made a beeline towards the girl, yelling at her to get down as he wrapped his arms around her and forced her onto the pavement. Using his own body to shield the young girl from harm's way as the man fired his weapon. A small rocket launched from the hollow tube of the cane as it streaked towards the two, hitting the ground and exploding in a shower of debris as Walker let out a grunt as he was hit by broken pieces of pavement.

The man used the explosion to make his escape as Walker got up and fired at him with his shotgun. Emptying the rounds left inside of the weapon before switching to his M4 and unleashing a full auto spray.

The bullets were ineffective due to Walker being blinded slightly by the smoke from the rocket. The young girl seemed to recover from the explosion quicker then Walker though as she sprinted off after the man at a speed Walker thought impossible.

Walker took off after the two of them at full speed, leaving behind a rather shocked looking shop owner as he watched the three heavily armed people tear off to cause property damage somewhere else.

Making his way up the ladder the man used to escape Walker was surprised to see a rather tall looking blonde woman, holding what appeared to be some form of wand, the hooded girl from earlier standing beside her with a new, more rifle looking weapon as they fired projectiles at an osprey looking aircraft.

Reloading his M4, Walker quickly ran up and joined the fight. Adding his own weapon into the mix as the three of them fired at the aircraft's open door.

But the shots were blocked by a woman standing in the door, holding her hand out like she was stopping the bullets with her mind. Despite this Walker continued firing until his magazine was empty. That was when the older blonde woman decided to launch a hail of debris at the aircraft using her apparently magic stick.

But the plan backfired as the woman in the aircraft shot bolts of fire from her hand, destroying the makeshift missile and sending the debris flying in a million different directions.

Then with a laugh a circle of heat formed around the group, the older blonde woman looking at Walker then the younger girl before deciding on the one with the red hood. Using her wand to fling the girl to safety as Walker and the tall blonde dove out of the way as a massive explosion ripped through the part of the roof they had been standing on.

"What the fuck!" yelled Walker as he continued to fire at the escaping aircraft with a fresh magazine.

But it was not to be as the bullets bounce off the aircraft's metal shell, the osprey escaping into the night with the criminals inside.

It was then that Walker finally began to feel his wounds as the adrenaline wore off, his body seemed to crumple as he felt the pain course through him. His body going limp as he dropped his M4 from his hands, the weapon hitting the roof with a clatter as Walker fell over and embraced the darkness that welcomed him.

 **Dream**

Walker felt sand beneath his hands as he stood up, wind coursing through his short hair as he pulled his mask and goggles on to protect his mouth and eyes from the sand. "What the?" Walker said as he looked around, his voice seemingly echoing as he spoke to himself, he was back in Dubai and that much was clear as he felt the sand filter through his fingers.

"Whats going on!?" He yelled attempting to find someone, anyone to explain what was happening to him, he was very confused at the moment and he did not know whether this was some fever dream due to his guilt or a harsh reality.

"You left me to die Walker." A voice whispered in his ear as Walker turned around to face the source.

He nearly puked when he saw it, it was Lugo the delta force sniper was hanging from a light post with a rope wrapped around his neck, blood covering his mouth as he looked directly into Walker's eyes. "This was all your fault. What will my family think when I am sent home in a body bag and told some fake story about how I died in the line of duty? When in our twisted, fucked up reality I am actually a war criminal who killed civilians and good men on the whim of a lunatic."

"Lugo…...I….I didn't mean for this." Walker attempted to apologize but he was soon cut off by a rage filled Lugo.

"And what about my life Walker, if you didn't mean for this to happen then surely you could give me back the life you stole from me." Lugo spat as what appeared to be blood filled tears rolled down his face. "I was going to ask a girl to go out with me when we got home, a girl I had known since grade school and you stole that from me…..just like everything else you stole from me." Lugo looked away into the distance as Walker stood there, his mind beginning to fracture in on itself as he felt tears run down his face. He never meant for any of this to happen and he knew that he should have been in Lugo's place right now, hanging by his neck as a warning for all others.

"I'm a monster now….thanks to you." Lugo said as he looked back at Walker as blood began to flow from his mouth, the sergeant taking a knife from a sheath on his belt as he continued speaking. "Just remember Walker, you are a monster no matter what…...don't try to fool these people they will see right through it….and remember all the lives you took….sad thing is you are the only one who can." With that Lugo took the knife and before Walker could even react, he cut the rope causing his body to fall towards the ground as it went limp before hitting the sand.

"Such a good man corrupted by you Walker, he was a good kid and had potential but all that was ruined by you." The voice of Konrad said now as he appeared beside Walker, wearing a T-shirt and camo pants. "What do you think about your new home so far?" Konrad asked as he turned towards the captain.

"Where the hell am I? What did you do Konrad?" Walker asked as he continued staring at Lugo's prone form unwilling to meet the accusing gaze on his own mind.

"I…..I didn't do anything Walker." Konrad said with a chuckle. "It was the universe who decided you still had your uses, even if it is not on earth. I was just the bearer of the message."

"Then you know where the hell I am?" Walker asked once again as he finally looked the apparition in the eyes, only to have Konrad grin at him slyly with his pearly white teeth.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out Walker. But who knows maybe you'll find something here to take care of and not destroy for once." With that Konrad disappeared, leaving Walker with a final flash memory of the men of the 33rd he saved as if he was reminding Walker of what his mission currently was at this point in time, but then he saw a flash of Dubai.

 **Dream Ends**

Walker screamed as he woke up, clutching his head as it felt as if his skull had a hot iron driving into it. "No! Lugo! I'm sorry Lugo! I thought I was doing the right thing!" Walker screamed to the heavens, hoping someone would hear him and help ease his guilt. He heard a door open and the sound of several people bursting into the room as Walker slammed his fist into the wall, feeling the drywall crumple under the weight of his fist before clutching his head as he let out another pained yell as an image of Dubai burning along with the 33rd flashed in his mind's eye.

"Sir, sir please calm down!" A female voice said as Walker felt several hands grab him and attempt to hold him down.

"No!no! It's my fault, the entire thing is my fault I got him killed. I killed fucking all of them!" Walker yelled as tears streamed down his face, attempting to break from the grip that held him down as he felt something stab into his wrist, something that felt thin, metal and cold.

Soon after that, Walker felt his eyes begin to droop slightly as drugs were pumped into his veins. Calming his nerves and causing the soldier to slump slightly as the people holding him down sat him up on the bed.

"Now." One calm voice said as Walker looked up. "Care to explain who you are?"

 **Hey guys its Jake here, I'm sorry for disappearing on you with the GATE story and a few other things. Life kinda took ahold of me and I lost my job, girlfriend of three years left me and more then a few other things happened. The long and short of it is I had a break down and spent the last while just trying to remake myself into something different. Not to worry, my passion for writing both this story and GATE is back in full force.**

 **The show must go on.**


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